Solar-Powered Robot Used For Snow-Surfing

Solar-Powered Robot Used For Snow-Surfing
Researchers at the Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College have found another great use for their solar-powered robots -- snow-surfing!

One morning, while taking walking behind the robot and dragging a sled of equipment for quantitatively measuring the strength and cohesion of the snow underfoot, we realized what fools we were to man-haul the equipment ourselves. And, for that matter, how silly even to walk. So, we hooked the sled to the robot and went for a ride. The robot, it turns out, can haul its own weight (nearly 200 lbs.) on a sled and hardly notice it...Snow surfing behind the robot is not very exciting however; it only travels at a slow walking pace.

Link & Image: Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College via Zedomax via TreeHugger
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